


a different galaxy to explore

by paradoxicalconverse



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: ...for now, Complete, F/F, Fluff, Space Gays, but who doesn't love some good ol space gays, they're not actually in space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-05 20:51:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14626800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradoxicalconverse/pseuds/paradoxicalconverse
Summary: Based on the anonymous Tumblr prompt: Wayhaught prompt: Person A: amateur UFO hunter travels around finds a cool star watching spot Person B: amateur astronomer/ space enthusiast finds favourite star gazing spot occupied. Gets passive aggressive with intruder. Person A: flirts anyway. (its a bit out there, space pun intended)





	1. Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> If you look up the actual coordinates, it's to an observatory called the Percival Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ so all of the describing details I used to talk about it are true! just a cool lil fun fact. really hope you guys like it, and if you do, please leave kudos and comments!

35.2029° N, 111.6646° W

The observatory had been abandoned for years, covered in spiderwebs and forgotten scratches in the wall of planetary coordinates (that were later proved to be wildly incorrect, anyway). The ceiling was misshapen and warped from years of weathered beatings, threatening to cave at any moment, and the floor consisted of mostly rotten planks of wood that would give out on their own.

Waverly Earp loved it. 

There was something so inexplicably intriguing about the saltwater stains that dyed the walls a fascinating galaxy of their own, the musty air whispering secrets of past observers, the intense hike it took the get there, as if the unattainable was only out of reach to those who weren’t willing to wait.

Only today, even at 2 o’clock in the morning, someone was already there.

The figure was nothing more than a mere shadow as she first approached, and she dismissed it as nothing more than an irrational fear her mind had concocted from hiking for over an hour in the dark. The shadow shifted suddenly, turning to face her, and Waverly realized with relief that it wasn’t a shadow at all, but a person.

Which, in turn, melted right into annoyment. 

“You’re in my spot,” she said, drawing closer.

“I can scoot over,” the figure offered cheerfully. Waverly’s heart did some sort of unintentional backflip at the sound of her voice.

“Not what I mean,” Waverly muttered, but took to it anyway and sat herself next to the stranger. Once closer up she was able to make out some semblance of definition; maybe some stark red hair, if only the moon would come out. 

“I’m Nicole,” the figure offered. Her hand snaked out to meet Waverly’s own. It was callused, Waverly noted, and strong. She tried not to think too much about it. “Nicole Haught.”

“You’re also in my favorite star-gazing spot.” She ignored the sudden hammering in her chest. She was supposed to be annoyed, not nervous! 

“Oh?” The voice that followed was mocking in an adorable sort of way. “I didn’t realize you were the great-great-granddaughter of Percival Lowell. Forgive me.” It was more of a jibe than anything, but to Waverly’s horror, she’d fallen right into it before she had a chance to pull herself out. 

“I’m not related to him!”

Nicole laughed. “Well, if you won’t tell me your name, what’s a girl to do?”

“Get out of my favorite star-gazing spot, for one.” The taunt was more of a grumble than anything actually serious, and she tacked on after it a quiet, “Waverly Earp.”

“Waverly Earp,” Nicole repeated, and god  _ damn  _ if it didn’t sound like a masterpiece coming from her mouth. “What are you doing up here at 2 in the morning, Waverly Earp?”

“I could ask you the same thing. I come up here all the time; I’ve never seen you before.” So maybe having someone’s company up here wasn’t  _ terrible  _ compared to the nights she’d sat in silence, accompanied only by straight espresso and tofurkey. 

“If you must know, I consider myself to be an amateur UFO hunter. I was in town, had researched about this place a bit, and thought it might be a cool place to check out.” She turned to Waverly and studied her up and down for a moment—in Waverly’s reprieve she had failed to notice that the moon  _ had  _ surfaced from behind a particularly strong cloud, illuminating Nicole Haught. 

She felt her breath torn from her throat as her features became clear. She had been right about the red hair, but everything else was a complete surprise. Angular cheekbones that made her look like she’s been carved out of steel, beautiful and artistic. A long, slender neck that Waverly despised herself for noticing for a fraction of a second longer than she should have. And holy  _ shit, _ was she gorgeous.  

“Clearly, I came on the right night.” 

_ That—she’s—she’s definitely flirting with me. _ The thought was more of an incoherent babble of words than anything actually plausible, but it got the message across and Waverly had to fight back the grin that tried to steal at her lips. “UFO hunting, huh?”

Nicole laughed again; Waverly decided it was possibly the best sound in the entire world. “I don’t really believe in any of it, you know? But something  _ really  _ made me want to come out here tonight. I just figured tonight was the night for spotting unidentified flying objects.” She gestured vaguely up at the great beyond. “I haven’t seen any yet, but something else definitely caught my eye. Call it a sign.”

A deep blush blossomed from her cheeks to her neck; thank god for the shrouding darkness. “I just like stargazing,” Waverly replied after a moment of silence. “It’s comforting. All that shit about how small we are in comparison. Cheesy, but comforting.” 

“Nothing wrong with a little philosophy,” Nicole said. She inched a bit closer, only hesitating for a moment to ask, “Sorry, do you mind if I…? I’m a bit cold. Looks like you are too.” She opened her arms, allowing Waverly to hesitantly slide herself into them and nestle gently into the junction where her shoulder met her neck.  _ The goosebumps were from the cold.  _ It was more of an attempt to convince herself than actual fact. 

Waverly despised how easily she melted into her arms, warm and soft, and oddly enough, safe. “So, I don’t usually cuddle with random strangers at 2 am,” Waverly offered quietly. She noted, with an unexpected surge of happiness, that Nicole’s heartbeat picked up a bit under the thick woolen sweater she had shrouded herself within. 

“You were cold, I was cold.” Nicole replied. “It’ll be our little secret.” She paused for a moment, then added, “I have a cat named Calamity Jane.”

“What?”

“You said you don’t usually cuddle with strangers at 2 am. And yet here we are, cuddling. So I thought I’d help out the strangers part of the deal. My cat’s name is Calamity Jane, and I think I’d like to get to know you, Waverly Earp.”

“I wouldn’t mind meeting Calamity Jane, if that’s what you’re talking about,” Waverly replied, and felt Nicole shake with laughter. 

“I think Calamity Jane and I would both like that. How about I buy you a cup of coffee tomorrow morning?”

“After you stole my favorite stargazing spot? It’s the least you could do.” Waverly pressed herself in closer and unthinkingly wrapped her arms around Nicole’s waist. Nicole retaliated by pulling Waverly closer and resting her head against Waverly’s own.

“And yet,” she replied. “I’m really not that sorry.”  
  



	2. Coffee, Calamity Jane, and Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole are both nervous gays on a date that Wynonna somehow knows about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy with how this is coming along so far, and I really hope you guys are too!

“You were out late last night.” Wynonna’s feet were kicked up on the table, doughnut in hand, powdered sugar shamelessly smeared across the lower half of her face.

“There was a lot to look at,” Waverly replied, turning away. A blush had begun to spread across her cheeks to the back of her neck, and she really did _not_ need Wynonna to notice that right now.

“I’m sure there was.” There was a scary sense of _knowing_ in Wynonna’s voice, enough to make Waverly freeze in her tracks and spin. “Stars. The moon. Lots of shiny shit to look at at. Among other things.” She winked, and Waverly felt her heart plummet into her stomach. “And besides.” She kicked her legs off the table and rose. “You’re up early after staying out late. Going out for any reason?”

To be fair, she hadn’t expected Wynonna to still be up when she had gotten home at 4 am last night, sipping whiskey and shining Peacemaker for what had to be the _billionth_ time, and Waverly _definitely_ hadn’t expected her to be awake at eight this morning when she got up to meet a certain red-headed someone for coffee. She had no reason to think she would need any sort of excuse; Wynonna slept in until noon on a good day and poured whiskey into her coffee as a pick-me-up, there was no reason she should be up at the same time as Waverly. That is, unless she somehow knew Waverly had plans.

“The pursuit of knowledge never sleeps,” she replied and turned away, reaching for the door. “I’ll be home later.”

“I won’t wait up. Have fun at coffee.” She could _feel_ Wynonna’s wink from behind her back, damn her to hell.

Waverly rolled her eyes and had made it all the way to the truck before the thought struck her; _She never told Wynonna she was going out for coffee._

* * *

Nicole was already at in the café when Waverly had arrived. Gone was her façade of confidence she had tried so hard to exude last night, emboldened by the vast darkness above and the endorphins from the arduous hike; this was much different now that she was face to face with something she wasn’t entirely convinced hadn’t been a fever dream from last night. _A wonderful dream,_ she thought before she could stop herself.

But no, not a dream, she was reminded, as Nicole’s face lit up when she saw Waverly and beckoned her over excitedly with a happy, “Waverly!” in tow. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t show.” Nicole’s voice was breathless for some reason; Waverly tried not to read too much into the fact that her heartbeat shuddered to a stop at the sound.

“Was I late?” Her move to check her watch was obviously ostentatiously overdone. Anything to break the awkward staring Waverly was hesitant to admit she loved.

“No, you were—no. I was just early.” Nicole’s eyes raked her up and down for a moment. Dilated pupils and a hitched breath revealed that she liked what she saw. “I wasn’t entirely convinced last night actually happened. Please, sit down, I just ordered more coffee over.”

“So.” Waverly seated herself and felt another blush spread over the back of her neck as Nicole’s eyes traced her movements the entire way down. “I believe I was promised a meet up with one Miss Calamity Jane?”

Nicole laughed. “You really do like to get right to the point, don’t you? You have to know I didn’t bring her to the café, right?”

Now was her moment—if Nicole was going to shamelessly flirt, then damn it, she was going to shamelessly flirt right back. “Of course I knew that. I figured I could come over after breakfast and meet her?” Her words were jumbled and rushed. So maybe the flirting was a little less smooth than Nicole’s, but if it worked, then damn it, it worked.

“Oh.” Nicole’s eyes went wide with surprise.

The single word send a cold tingle down Waverly’s spine. _Oh, shit. She wasn’t flirting with me this whole time, I just read to far into it and now I’ve crossed a line._ “Or not, I don’t have to, it was just a suggestion and I shouldn’t have offered it, it was so stupid and I’m so sorry—”

“Hey.” Waverly’s words caught in her throat as Nicole reached out and took her hands in her own. Her fingers were long, hands warm, and oddly comforting in ways Waverly was unable to articulate. “I would love that.” Her face went red for a moment. “I mean, Calamity _Jane_ would love that.”

The waitress appeared at that moment, toting a steaming coffee cup for Waverly and a refill on cream and sugar. She cradled her hands around the mug and inhaled the scent, rich like chocolate. Wynonna always took her coffee black, but that didn’t mean Waverly didn’t get to enjoy the finer things in life, like sweet coffee (and maybe, she was beginning to realize, sweet girls, too).

Nicole’s eyes went wide as she watched Waverly dump her fourth packet of sugar into her coffee, already a smooth beige from three hazelnut creamers. “You must really hate the taste of coffee.”

“I don’t hate the taste, I just like like creamy coffee. Shoot me,” Waverly grumbled into her mug.

“You are not Wynonna, I’ll say that much,” Nicole laughed, then froze. Waverly’s head shot up.

“You know Wynonna?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, my Tumblr is please-say-nine.tumblr.com, and you guys are always welcome to send me prompts! please leave comments and kudos if you enjoyed it!


	3. An Apology and Astronomy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole lets Waverly know exactly how she knew Wynonna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this! It is, in fact, complete, but I am always accepting more prompts (and if you have an idea about how to continue this story that ISN'T smut, I may just consider it)! also just as a fun fact this document is saved on my computer as SPACE GAYS

Nicole’s face turned stark red, and Waverly would’ve found it funny that her skin was beginning to match the color of her hair if her mind wasn’t going a million miles an hour trying to piece together the new bout of information. “Okay, Waves, I can explain—”

Waverly held up her hand. “Wynonna knew I was going out for coffee. Oh  _ shit,  _ because she knows you, and you told her.” She buried her head into her hands. “I’m so  _ stupid.  _ I should’ve known. And here I thought you were  _ flirting  _ with me, and oh my god I was flirting  _ back, _ but she just probably wanted me out of the house this morning for some reason. Oh my god, just launch me into the  _ fucking void,  _ this is so embarrassing.”

“What? Waves, no. That’s not even, like, remotely what happened. I  _ was  _ flirting with you.” Nicole stopped herself for a moment. “Am. I am flirting with you.”

“I shouldn’t have come here. I have to go.” She stood up and went to grab her jacket when Nicole’s hand took her own, silently pleading with her to stay. 

“Hey, no. Waves. Please let me explain. Please.” Waverly knew her fatal flaw was glancing down at Nicole—one look and she was a goner, sliding back into her seat and breathing out a small,  _ okay.  _

“So, yes, okay. I know Wynonna. But she wasn’t trying to get you out of the house or anything, I promise. The truth is…” She wrung her hands together and dropped her eyes. “I’ve really liked you, Waverly. For a while now, but you were with Champ and I would never ask you to be someone you’re not. But then Wynonna told me you two broke up and you started saying stuff like,  _ Do chicks?  _ And I just really—I wanted to—I—” She took a deep breath and flicked her eyes back up to Waverly. It was presumably an unintentional gesture of admission, but Waverly failed to ignore the pang of electricity that roamed up her spine as Nicole glanced at her from under her eyelashes. “—Like you, Waverly. She was just trying to help.”

Maybe she could just be mad at Wynonna for a bit, and not this incredibly gorgeous stranger who apparently wasn’t even a stranger at all. She steeled herself over with a deep breath. “So the amateur UFO hunting bullcrap?”

Nicole smiled apologetically. “Wynonna told me where you liked to go, and that you were going last night. I kind of just made it up on the spot. I didn’t actually think you would show up.” She shrugged. “I wanted to impress you. Clearly.” Her laugh made Waverly want to smile. “It didn’t work very well.”

“Well, I do know more than the average person about cosmic radiation. It’s hard to impress me with that kinda stuff.”

“God, you’re such a nerd. Wynonna was absolutely right about you.” Nicole smiled and held out her hand, hitching her breath as Waverly accepted it. “So do you forgive me?”

Waverly pretended to roll the idea around in her mind for a moment. “That depends on whether or not I can come over after coffee to meet Calamity Jane like you promised.”

Nicole grinned. 

* * *

Later that evening, as Waverly painted Nicole’s collarbones red and purple with hickeys, looking far too similar to stars and the universe she was so desperate the understand, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she had stumbled upon a different galaxy to explore.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> always accepting prompts at please-say-nine.tumblr.com, if you enjoyed reading it please leave kudos and comments!

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr, as always, is please-say-nine@tumblr.com and I'll take whatever prompts you guys send me over there, so definitely send me some if you'd like! I also love reading feedback from you guys, so that's always appreciated as well!! also, the title will make sense at the end of the last chapter I'm just very proud of it ahhhhhh


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